Snail sheds foot to stay ahead of snake predators

2019-03-04 02:09:08

By Joanna Carver One snail has its own way to save its backside: grow another one. The Satsuma caliginosa snail, which lives on the islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote off Japan, can shed part of its foot in an effort to escape predatory snakes. Like some lizards that shed their tails – a process called autotomy – the snail regenerates a new version of its lost body part within a few weeks. “This is the first indication of autotomy in land snails,” says Masaki Hoso of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands, who made the discovery. “I had no idea that snails did this, so it is interesting in that respect and may prompt someone to work out exactly how they do it,” says Susan Evans at University College London, who researches limb loss in lizards. “What we really need to know is the developmental processes that underpin it.” For the snails, though, the strategy is a desperate one. With only part of a foot, they move even more slowly than normal, making for a particularly laboured getaway. Journal reference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: